Marcus: "We were stuck on a platform for days"

Marcus* was rescued on March 19, 2026, after spending 2 nights on a rubber boat, and 4 nights on the Miskar offshore platform, in the overlapping Tunisian and Maltese Search and Rescue Region.
His boat had left Zuwarah in Libya, with very little water or food. The fuel ran out and the boat, caught in the middle of the Medicane (a Mediterranean hurricane) with waves of over 5m and very strong winds, started to break and fill with water. They seeked refuge on the platform.
They were helped onto the platform by the workers and spent 4 nights on the metal structure, wet and exposed to the weather. On the 5th day, Ocean Viking finally was able to rescue them. survivors were coming from 17 countries and included 39 unaccompanied minors, 13 women, one child and 2 babies.

Here’s the full text of his testimony:

There were more than 60 of us on that boat.
When we were on our way it was very windy and the sea was rough. There were too many waves, far too many, and the wind was very strong.

The boat filled with water, completely filled. It reached a point where we had nothing left to get the water out with. The sea is dangerous.

We saw a house in the sea, like a platform, and we tried to hold onto it. When we reached it, everyone was just trying to survive. If you found a place to grab, you held on and tried to climb up. If you could help a friend, you did.

Once we got onto the platform, they treated us well. They gave us food, blankets, everything we needed. They took care of us.

We stayed there for five days. After five days, we saw the Ocean Viking. They came and rescued us.

In Libya, many Africans are captured and imprisoned. They are stuck there with no way out. The Libyans tell them to call their families to pay for their release, but even when the money is sent, they are often not freed.

Some people remain imprisoned indefinitely. Others become traumatized or lose their sanity. They are forced to work, but when the work is done, they are not paid.

There is no respect for human rights. People are beaten and mistreated in prison.

I have only tears.